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Salvadoran President Visits Area Hit by Volcanic Eruption
San Salvador, Dec 30 (Prensa Latina) President Mauricio Funes toured today areas hit by the eruption of the Chaparrastique volcano in the department of San Miguel, 140 miles east of San Salvador.
The president inspected an emergency operations center and visited shelters where people living near the Chaparrastique were evacuated. The volcano spewed a large plume of gas and ash on Sunday.
Before his visit, Funes said on Sunday that he had decided to go to San Miguel to see the situation of these families and the conditions of the shelters.
Funes rejected criticism from some local media and political leaders who said the government had a delayed reaction in this emergency.
He said that all measures were taken on time so that no lives were lost or injuries reported.
The Civil Protection department took all necessary measures to evacuate people leaving near the volcano with the support of the Army and the Police, Funes said.
In his speech on Sunday night, the president asked other candidates not to use the peopleâ?Ös suffering for their election campaigning, he noted.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is closely following the behavior of the Chaparrastique, one of the most active volcanoes in the country, and is responsible for providing any information, he said.
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